David Stanley
2008-02-06 19:55:42 UTC
Magnificent Mount Benson is one of the scenic wonders of Nanaimo,
British Columbia, on the west coast of Vancouver Island, Canada. Mount
Benson is the city's backdrop rising 1,019 meters above the Strait of
Georgia. The mountain's green forested slopes are favorites of hikers
and wildlife, and there's a sweeping view of the Coastal Mountain
Range across the water from the rocky summit.
Unfortunately, this paradise is threatened. Forestry companies want to
harvest timber on the mountain, while development companies want to
build luxury homes and resorts on the cleared lands. If the logging
were to go ahead, the ugly clearcuts would be an eyesore for decades
to come. Hiking trails would be destroyed and the wildlife driven
away. If subdivisions creep up the steep slopes, the damage will be
permanent.
It has happened here before. In the 1930s Mount Benson was logged, and
in 1951 a fire destroyed the regenerating forest. In the summer of
2003, just as the forest was again taking hold, fresh logging began on
the northeast side of Mount Benson in full view of the city. This
outraged the citizenry and a campaign to Save Mount Benson was
launched.
In 2004 the logging stopped after the Regional District of Nanaimo
(RDN) entered negotiations with landowners to purchase the impacted
areas. In 2005 the owners agreed to sell their property to the RDN for
$950,000, and in March 2006 the Nanaimo and Area Land Trust (NALT)
stepped forward with a pledge to raise half the money through public
contributions.
The 212-hectare Mount Benson Regional Park will stretch along the
upper front face of Mount Benson. An adjacent 383 hectares of
Provincial Crown Land is currently leased to Malaspina University-
College as a teaching woodlot which protects it against clearcutting.
Discussions are underway with Island Timberlands and Timber West to
purchase or swap other properties on the mountain's front face.
Together, NALT and the RDN hope to develop a comprehensive management
plan for the mountain.
Aside from its aesthetic value, the Mount Benson Regional Park will
make Nanaimo a Canadian eco-tourism superstar with hiking and mountain
biking in summer and cross-country skiing and snow-shoeing in winter.
The mountain park will complement the existing Newcastle Island
Provincial Marine Park and splendid Pipers Lagoon and Neck Point parks
further up the coast. Virgin rainforests in the nearby Linley Valley
are also undergoing park development.
The Mount Benson fundraising campaign will close on February 27, 2008,
and at last report local businesses and individuals had donated
$400,000, still short of the $475,000 NALT has pledged to raise. To
make a tax-deductible donation to the Save Mount Benson Campaign,
contact the NALT Stewardship Centre, 140 Wallace Street, Nanaimo, tel.
(250) 714-1990. Photos and travel information on Nanaimo are available
at http://www.gonanaimo.com
British Columbia, on the west coast of Vancouver Island, Canada. Mount
Benson is the city's backdrop rising 1,019 meters above the Strait of
Georgia. The mountain's green forested slopes are favorites of hikers
and wildlife, and there's a sweeping view of the Coastal Mountain
Range across the water from the rocky summit.
Unfortunately, this paradise is threatened. Forestry companies want to
harvest timber on the mountain, while development companies want to
build luxury homes and resorts on the cleared lands. If the logging
were to go ahead, the ugly clearcuts would be an eyesore for decades
to come. Hiking trails would be destroyed and the wildlife driven
away. If subdivisions creep up the steep slopes, the damage will be
permanent.
It has happened here before. In the 1930s Mount Benson was logged, and
in 1951 a fire destroyed the regenerating forest. In the summer of
2003, just as the forest was again taking hold, fresh logging began on
the northeast side of Mount Benson in full view of the city. This
outraged the citizenry and a campaign to Save Mount Benson was
launched.
In 2004 the logging stopped after the Regional District of Nanaimo
(RDN) entered negotiations with landowners to purchase the impacted
areas. In 2005 the owners agreed to sell their property to the RDN for
$950,000, and in March 2006 the Nanaimo and Area Land Trust (NALT)
stepped forward with a pledge to raise half the money through public
contributions.
The 212-hectare Mount Benson Regional Park will stretch along the
upper front face of Mount Benson. An adjacent 383 hectares of
Provincial Crown Land is currently leased to Malaspina University-
College as a teaching woodlot which protects it against clearcutting.
Discussions are underway with Island Timberlands and Timber West to
purchase or swap other properties on the mountain's front face.
Together, NALT and the RDN hope to develop a comprehensive management
plan for the mountain.
Aside from its aesthetic value, the Mount Benson Regional Park will
make Nanaimo a Canadian eco-tourism superstar with hiking and mountain
biking in summer and cross-country skiing and snow-shoeing in winter.
The mountain park will complement the existing Newcastle Island
Provincial Marine Park and splendid Pipers Lagoon and Neck Point parks
further up the coast. Virgin rainforests in the nearby Linley Valley
are also undergoing park development.
The Mount Benson fundraising campaign will close on February 27, 2008,
and at last report local businesses and individuals had donated
$400,000, still short of the $475,000 NALT has pledged to raise. To
make a tax-deductible donation to the Save Mount Benson Campaign,
contact the NALT Stewardship Centre, 140 Wallace Street, Nanaimo, tel.
(250) 714-1990. Photos and travel information on Nanaimo are available
at http://www.gonanaimo.com